Plans to axe shared boundaries rejected

T he Department of Health has overturned several strategic health authority proposals to remove shared boundaries between primary care trusts and councils in its final plans for PCT reform.

The DH rejected SHA proposals to create just four PCTs in the North East, removing nine coterminous arrangements, by backing a plan for 12 coterminous PCTs in the region.

In the South West, it overturned plans to remove shared boundaries in Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Swindon and South Gloucestershire.

Overall, the number of PCTs has been cut from 303 to 152.

In some areas the DH rejected SHA plans to introduce coterminosity, for instance by creating two PCTs in each of Cheshire and East Sussex.

The Local Government Association welcomed the changes. Community well-being board chair David Rogers said: “This announcement will make it far easier to provide more integrated services that are responsive to people’s needs.”